Tickets to 2016 Blossom Music Festival and Summers@Severance on Sale 5/9

Individual tickets for The Cleveland Orchestra's 2016 Blossom Music Festival and for the Summers@Severance series go on sale Monday, May 9, online at clevelandorchestra.com, by telephone (216-231-1111), and in person at the Severance Hall Ticket Office.

The Blossom Music Festival comprises 16 concerts, 12 of which are by The Cleveland Orchestra, including the concert on July 9 with Cleveland Orchestra Music Director Franz Welser-Möst conducting Beethoven's masterpiece, the Symphony No. 3 ("Eroica"); a program titled "An American in Paris" commemorating the Cuyahoga Valley National Park's celebration of the National Park Service Centennial and including Copland's Suite from Appalachian Spring (July 17); "Pinchas Zukerman Plays Mozart" (July 30); "Michael Feinstein's Broadway" (July 31); "Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 "Scottish" (August 7); and two concerts featuring a showing of Raiders of the Lost Ark with the film score played live by The Cleveland Orchestra (September 3 and 4). A "Salute to America" concert by the Blossom Festival Band (July 4), a concert by the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma (August 13), a program titled "The Who's Classic Quadrophenia" performed by the Blossom Festival Orchestra (August 20), and an "Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Plays Bach" concert (August 27) round out the season, which takes place at Blossom Music Center from Fourth of July weekend through Labor Day Weekend (July 2 - September 4, 2016).

The Summers@Severance series, now in its third year, is a three-concert series at Severance Hall on select Fridays with a concert start time of 7:00 p.m. The front terrace of Severance Hall is transformed into a pre- and post-concert party for these concerts. The concert series, sponsored by Thompson Hine LLP, begins on July 8 with Music Director Franz Welser-Möst conducting a program that features Brahms's A German Requiem with soloists Lauren Snouffer, soprano, and Dashon Burton, bass-baritone, and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. Also on the program is Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta. On July 22, the concert features the live finals of The Cooper International Piano Competition, with the repertoire announced the day of the concert, and on August 12 the program, includes Bach's Cantata No. 51 with soprano Karina Gauvin as soloist and Handel's "Let the Bright Seraphim" from Samson with Cleveland Orchestra Principal Trumpet Michael Sachs as soloist.

Full details of the 2016 Blossom Music Festival season, including Festival as well as Cleveland Orchestra soloist and conductor debuts, plus the Summers@Severance series, are available online at:

clevelandorchestra.com, 2016 Blossom Music Festival: www.clevelandorchestra.com/News-and-Updates/News-Releases/2016-releases/2016-02-07-Blossom-Music-Festival-Schedule/, 2016 Summers@Severance: www.clevelandorchestra.com/News-and-Updates/News-Releases/2016-releases/2016-02-14-summers-at-severance-schedule1/

Beginning with the 2015 Blossom Music Festival season and extending through 2017, The J.M. Smucker Company is the three-year season sponsor of the Orchestra's Blossom Music Festival.

2016 Ticket, Series, and Sponsor Information

LAWN TICKET BOOKS INCLUDE TWO PAVILION UPGRADES AND QUALIFY FOR THE "UNDER 18S FREE" PROGRAM
Lawn Ticket Books of ten vouchers are now available for $160 (a savings of up to $100). Lawn vouchers qualify for youth admission as part of the "Under18s Free" program. Youth admission tickets can be requested after individual tickets go on sale. Contact the Box Office or visit clevelandorchestra.com for information about this program.

CREATE-YOUR-OWN SERIES
A Create-Your-Own Series package is being offered again this season. When purchasing 4 or more concerts, there is a savings of 10% off the individual ticket prices. There is no limit to the number of Create-Your-Own Series purchases. All subscribers receive free parking in Lot B.

Pavilion ticket prices start at $24. Individual tickets go on sale by telephone, in person at the Severance Hall Ticket Office, and online at clevelandorchestra.com on May 9. The Blossom Box Office opens for the season beginning on Saturday, June 4, and will be open throughout the summer on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. through intermission on concert days.

Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Call the Cleveland Orchestra Group Sales Office at Severance Hall at 216-231-7463 for more information.

The 2016 Blossom Music Festival features two four-concert "Classics" series, a four-concert "Celebrations" series, and a four-concert "Pops" series. Ticket packages, on sale now, offer approximately 20% savings off individual-ticket prices. Ticket package prices start at $84, which includes free Lot B parking and access to Kulas Plaza. Box-seat ticket packages include complimentary parking in First Energy Lot A behind the main Box Office in addition to access to Kulas Plaza.

Blossom Music Festival Presented by the J.M. Smucker Company
The J.M. Smucker Company is in the second season of a three-year sponsorship as the Season Sponsor of the Blossom Music Festival, extending through the 2017 Festival. The J.M. Smucker Company has supported The Cleveland Orchestra for decades with annual contributions as well as capital gifts for improvements at Blossom Music Center. The company's ongoing, generous support has been recognized through concert sponsorship at Blossom for the past decade, and has earned them recognition as a member of the Orchestra's John L. Severance Society - a group of the Orchestra's most dedicated and generous corporate, foundation, and individual supporters.